The present invention relates to a stopper device for controlling movement of a tubular member along another tubular member. The invention also relates to a telescoping device provided with this stopper device.
Conventional telescopic units of this type include a telescopic unit 1 shown in FIG. 11. A stopper device 2 of telescopic unit 1 has a plurality of tubular members (not shown in the drawing) and generally cylindrical stopper supporting members 3 respectively supporting the stoppers. With respect to the configuration of each stopper, one tubular member is associated with another tubular member in that the other tubular member moves along the one tubular member. Each stopper is adapted to control the movement of the other tubular member. Stopper supporting members 3 are each similar in shape and have dimensions respectively corresponding to the diameters of the tubular members.
Each stopper supporting member 3 is so formed as to extend straight from one of the axial ends to the other axial end, with the two axial ends having nearly the same dimension.
Therefore, when the conventional telescopic unit 1 is contracted to its minimum length, as shown in FIG. 11, an annular indentation 5 is formed between each stopper supporting member 3 and its adjacent stopper supporting member 3. Such a structure presents the possibility of another object getting inadvertently caught in indentation 5.